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| Image: Pink Sherbet Photography |
Written by Ken Hedler
Members of Citizens for Dixie’s Future were divided in a show of hands at their recent May 19 forum in the St. George Public Library, with about an equal number favoring a focus on conservation while others favored conservation combined with opposition to the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline. In addition, many different suggestions were proposed for how to move forward as an organization.
CDF Board President Tom Butine, a retired airplane designer who moved to St. George from Seattle five years ago, asked approximately 25 people in the audience twice to take part in the informal poll during the meeting. Nobody raised hands when he asked if they wanted the sole focus of Citizens for Dixie’s Future to be the controversial pipeline slated to bring water about 140 miles to Washington County from Lake Powell on the Utah/Arizona border.
Reading from a PowerPoint presentation, Butine said the CDF needed to stay on top of developments, continuing to question the feasibility of the pipeline, seeking better data on water needs and its supply, and continuing to advocate for “conservation first.”
A three-page position paper from CDF questions the need for the Lake Power Pipeline, contending it is based on overestimation of population growth, outdated information on water use, and “unreasonably low estimates” of future water conservation.
Karry Rathje, public information manager for the Washington County Water Conservancy District, did not attend the meeting but questioned some of the assertions in a follow-up email.
Rathje wrote that Washington County is currently leading the state in water conservation as a result of reducing water use by 26 percent between 2000 and 2010.
“We anticipate further reductions as new technology is introduced in development, our population becomes more dense, landscapes become more water efficient, etc.,” she wrote. “Conservation is a top priority for the district, and we’re confident our home and business owners will use less water in the future than they’re using today.”
The Washington County Water Conservancy District came under criticism during and after the meeting from Lake Powell Pipeline opponent Bob Amoroso, who said, “The good ol’ boys own the land. … The only way to sell the land is if you have a sufficient amount of water.”
Rathje responded by stating current and future residents of Utah will benefit from the “economic return on water infrastructure projects that add to our existing water supply and increase system reliability and diversity – as does the Lake Powell Pipeline.”
Rathje also stated that building the pipeline will create about 10,000 jobs, adding that annual returns on 86,000 acre-feet of water will support a population of 292,547 people.
Butine said that CDF does not advocate “no growth” or “slow growth.”
“We are for conservation,” he said. “Air quality.” He added CDF has 300 dues-paying members and an additional 500 supporters.
Other members also stressed in the meeting that promoting conservation does not conflict with population growth. The Citizens for Dixie’s Future vision statement calls for growing in a manner that enables conservation, and their mission is to be a good steward of the area’s natural and cultural resources.
When it comes to water conservation, Butine pointed to conservation measures which have worked in the Irvine Ranch community in Orange County, Calif., by reducing usage by 50 percent.
“We don’t just want to be anti-pipeline.”
Butine suggested working with local jurisdictions to implement measures similar to that of Irvine Ranch, adding that a committee could study the issue.
A suggestion to encourage conservation by installing water meters came from Dorothy Engelman of St. George. She said only one meter serves the 107-unit subdivision where she lives. According to Rene Fleming, the conservation coordinator for the City of St. George’s water and energy departments, St George has about 24,300 meters.
Other suggestions from group members included local and statewide legislation, determining the relationship between ground water and surface water, reusing water, and seeking support from environmental groups such as the Sierra Club.
Butine said CDF would be in a better position to make its case if it could afford a lobbyist in the statehouse in Salt Lake City and that they needed to seek grant money.
Even given all of these suggestions, Butine told The Independent after the two-hour meeting that he still did not know what direction CDF would take regarding the main focus of their water conservation efforts.
For more information on Citizens for Dixie’s Future, visit http://citizensfordixie.org/.
Ken Hedler is a St. George-based freelance writer. Contact him at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter @KeninDixie2014.
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